CQU staff members are getting involved in a Festival of Innovation event being organised by the Department of State Development and Innovation on Thursday, October 26.

And organiser Arthur Hunt is keen for even more to take part.

The third annual Festival of Innovation will be held at DPI Parkhurst, with a Celebration of Innovation Dinner later at the Rockhampton Leagues Club.

There will also be a workshop on Matrix Thinking presented by Roger La Salle, a judge on 'The New Inventors', on Friday October 27. The Festival of Innovation aims to:.

- encourage and equip the business community to increase the level of innovation in business practices and processes to increase profitability;.

- inform new and established local enterprises about the pathways to successful innovation and commercialisation of new products and services; and.

- encourage networking between businesses, local service providers and metropolitan specialists.

The steering committee planning the Festival includes CQU Professor Paul Hyland, Anna Thomas (Rail CRC) and Leslie Walker (CQU Research Office).

"We hope that a number of CQU staff will take part in the event as exhibitors, presenters or participants and take the opportunity to match research expertise with local industry needs," Mr Hunt said.

"Some have already indicated that they will be exhibitors at the Festival.

"They include Associate Professor Tony Ward, Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Business and Informatics, who will provide an interactive exhibit on his Customer Service Predictor, Associate Professor Kerry Walsh, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Health who will be an exhibitor and presenter, and Noel Patson, Faculty of Business and Informatics, who will exhibit his new way of visualising large amounts of network traffic information".

Details are available from Mr Hunt via 4938 4571 or arthur.hunt@sd.qld.gov.au